Wash.: 8 sea lions found dead, apparently shot

Washington wildlife officials say eight sea lions have been found dead in the Puget Sound region in recent weeks — all apparently shot.

Georgia man sentenced to more than 200 years in jail for setting girlfriend on fire

A Georgia man who poured gasoline over his girlfriend and set her on fire was Friday sentenced to more than 200 years in prison.

Popular Hawaiian singer jailed for abusing young girls in Los Angeles

Cecilio Rodriguez, of the popular Hawaiian singing group Cecilio and Kapono, was sentenced to a year in jail Friday after pleading no contest to sexually molesting two young sisters in Los Angeles in the late 1990s.

Ex-Boston Mayor White, led in turbulent '70s, dies

Former Mayor Kevin H. White, who led the city for 16 years including racially turbulent times in the 1970s and was credited with putting it on a path to prosperity, died Friday, a family spokesm...

BP emails reveal company veiling spill rate

On the day the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP officials warned in an internal memo that if the well was not protected by the blow-out preventer at the drill site, crude oil could burst into the Gulf...

Justice Dept. turns over docs in Fast and Furious

Newly released Justice Department emails sent to Capitol Hill for a congressional inquiry into a gun-smuggling operation indicate that the head of the department's criminal division suggested le...

Officer in Katrina shootings probe to be retried

Prosecutors intend to retry a retired police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

A political tip sheet for the rest of us

A political tip sheet for the rest of us outside the Washington Beltway, for Friday, Jan. 27, 2012:

Ex-Marine pleads not guilty 5 Calif. murders

A former Marine convicted of killing three women in Illinois pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering five more women in California.

Sandusky asks Pa. court to see his grandchildren

The former Penn State assistant football coach charged with child molestation asked for court permission Friday to see his grandchildren, visits currently prohibited under his bail conditions.

Venezuelan gets 14 months in Conn. fraud cover-up

A real estate manager who tried to cover up a Connecticut-based pyramid scheme involving hundreds of millions of dollars from a Venezuela state pension fund has been sentenced to 14 months in pr...

NY inmate guilty of seeking $890M in tax refunds

A jury has convicted a New York prison inmate of falsely filing tax returns seeking $890 million in refunds.

Many Mo. farmers shut out of federal flooding aid

Some Missouri farmers whose land flooded last year say they are being left out of $215 million in federal disaster aid because they missed a deadline.

Police: Mo. woman robbed cop called to help her

Police say a St. Louis woman who allegedly robbed an officer who responded to her call for help was caught when she used his bank card a short time later.

Iraq War veteran accused of posing as Oregon officer

Police in Eugene, Ore., worry about what Daniel Alloway could have done as he cleared traffic with emergency lights on his blue SUV and wore the uniforms of both local police and the Federal Protective Services.

Iraq War veteran accused of posing as Ore. officer

Eugene Police Officer Dan Baker drove a blue SUV and set off sirens to clear cars in front of him at traffic lights. He pulled over motorists — though it's unclear if he ever gave out tic...

Mayor Bloomberg: No NYC parade for Iraq War vets

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there will be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

Retiree says he lost life savings with Stanford

A retired architect and military veteran told jurors at Texas financier R. Allen Stanford's fraud trial Friday that he lost nearly all of his life savings investing with Stanford, and has survived by eating "a lot of macaroni and cheese" and selling his possessions on eBay.

Arcing power lines caused big Nov. 18 fire in Nev.

Fire investigators have confirmed arcing power lines caused the wind-blown blaze that destroyed dozens of homes in Reno in November.

Quarterly GDP changes in past 4 years, at a glance

Here are the quarterly changes in economic activity over the past four years as measured by the gross domestic product. GDP is the total output of goods and services produced in the United States. The figures are seasonally adjusted annual rates.